'What is the obsession with Brexit?': Viewers confused by Brexit references on Cheryl's 'The Greatest Dancer'

BBC One’s new dance show The Greatest Dancer hasn’t got off to the greatest of starts. And it’s not Cheryl’s alleged lack of dance experience or her rumoured feud with fellow judge Oti Mabuse that had people talking during its Saturday night premiere.

But rather a more surprising reason: Brexit. Yes the outcome of the EU referendum was referenced several times during the one hour launch episode and many viewers were none too happy about the overt political comparisons.

In this game-changing talent show, the audience is given the ultimate power and votes for who they want to go through to the next round of the competition. Each act must get at least 75% of the audience’s approval to earn a returning place.

And on two occasions the audience were caught comparing the voting results to that of Brexit. Similar to the format on ITV’s X Factor, cameras zoom in on individual audience reactions during each audition.

Once audience member remarked: “Voting on this was so much harder than voting on Brexit!” while in a separate audition another member complained: “I tell you, the public has got it wrong. It’s Brexit part two.”

Disgruntled viewers at home flocked to Twitter to share their outrage at the show seemingly exploiting as well as mocking the Brexit Referendum.

One wrote: ’26 mins in and we’ve had 2 Brexit comments already’ while another asked: ‘What is the obsession with Brexit?’

Others seemed peeved that the outcomes of a reality show was insinuated as being as important as that of the EU Referendum.

One argued that while she believed ‘Brexit is wrong’ ultimately The Greatest Dancer is ‘a bloody dance competition.’

A further user said she was ‘fed up’ with all the Brexit referencing and wished the show would focus more on the actual dance performances.

But alas not all of the viewers were in disagreement with the blatant political commentary. Some believed that the voting results were a parody of the actual outcomes of Brexit. Others even implied that this was evidence that a second referendum should take place.

A viewer wrote: ‘Yet another reason why the public shouldn’t be aloud [SIC] to vote’ and another: ‘have we learnt nothing from bloody Brexit…?!’ And a third even went as far as: ‘that Brexit comment is why we need a 2nd referendum.’

This is by no means the first time the BBC has been accused of being too politically correct or for not providing an unbiased outlook on Brexit.

The latest episode of Doctor Who has been criticised for making direct parables to and even a joke about Brexit.

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